The Bailliage Provincial held its 2023 Chapitre in two heritage locations in the Harbour Dress Circle of Sydney. The day commenced with the AGM at the Royal Automobile Club of Australia, on the doorstep of Circular Quay and a stone’s throw from the iconic Opera House. After the reports, our National Committee welcomed members to ‘Drinks and Nibbles’. An understatement as members enjoyed a stunning ‘High Tea’ replete with charcuterie platters, lobster, oysters and dips accompanied by sparkling, white and red wines.

The Induction Ceremony followed presided over by Bailli Délégué Norman Harrison in his capacity as Member of the Conseil Magistral. He was ably supported by Sam Giddings and Dennis Mather.

A special event as many honours and promotions had been delayed due to COVID-19. Over 20 members were inducted or promoted including 11 inductions to the Ordre Mondial des Gourmets Dégustateurs (OMGD) under the guidance of Échanson John Studdert.

Our international and interstate guests were taken for a walk to the Opera House. Later we walked to our black-tie dining venue, Sake located in ‘The Rocks’ area, one of the earliest settlements in Sydney dating back to 1788 and in the shadow of Sydney Harbour Bridge. Walking into Sake feels like discovering a secret. A sandstone two storey building with original timber beams, stunning full wall mural and semi-open kitchen. We dined upstairs in the private function area.

The food at Sake has been described as paying homage to Washoku, traditional Japanese food. The team combine tradition with innovation. Highlights included shumai, a steamed dumpling served with spicy ponzu sauce and salmon yaki served on hoba leaf. Wines included a Pinot Noir, a Grenache, a Sauvignon Blanc and a Riesling which were served as preferred by the diner. Standout wine was a 2017 Royal Tokay from Hungary. In honour of World Chaîne Day, we were treated to a talk by food historian Jeremy Ryland.

A special thank you to Dane Richards who worked tirelessly with both venues to create a Chapitre to remember.

We bought our enthusiasm to this year’s event given the COVID-19 restrictions of previous years. We left with even more enthusiasm experiencing joys of everything the Chaîne offers its members.

Edwina Morris
Chargée de Presse